Barbecue Tricks

BBQ Tips and Tricks

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Unboxing Porter Road Beef Ribs and Other Dry Aged Meat


Porter Road is an online butcher that is fairly new on the scene. I recently did an unboxing (see it below) and I wanted to share a quick overview of what they do. I’m pretty excited about what they have to offer. I really liked the product. Especially the Porter Road Beef Ribs!

I’m a huge fan of their bone in Ribeye, it tasted as good as it looked in the video. They have a variety of meats – but I actually now have a NEW favorite cut of meat for grilling thanks to Porter Road (more on that below).

About Porter Road

First a little bit about Porter Road. They are a based originally in Nashville. They have been a butcher shop in Nashville for years and now they’re branching out. In fact, they bought a slaughterhouse a few years ago and now it’s enabled them to serve customers nationwide throughout the continental United States. Their whole thing is shipping fresh to your home.

And not just any meat. They only offer pasture raised beef, pork and chicken. The pork is the heritage breed. Duroc and and Berkshire pigs. These breeds offer a flavor that is just unmistakably better than what we’re getting like in Walmart and Costco these days. I encourage you to check Porter Road out just for the heritage breed pork. I don’t think they make as big of a deal out of it as they should. It’s really, really great flavor from either the bacon and the pork chops.

Not Necessarily Frozen

When you get the meat be aware that it’s not going to be rock solid frozen when you open it at home.

First, some notes on my package: I got this on a hot summer day. 90 degrees outside in August in Charleston and I got to it after about four hours and it was still a quite cold. Some of the ground meat was frozen, the ice packs were still half frozen. The meat is typically going to come fresh, actually not frozen. There are a few cuts that are exceptions.

The ground “Beef versus Bacon” was delicious. I made some taco meat out of it and it was better than fantastic. I’d suggest getting it and trying it where you use ground beef or sausage. The next level flavor of the dry aged beef and heritage breed pork is something unique that could be considered a secret ingredient.

The Korean short ribs are the best thing I’ve had in a long time. They are my new favorite.

The bone in Ribeye was fantastic. Dry aged 14 days. I also tested the dry aged hotdogs that were also really good.

The Packaging

The cold shipping box and packaging of Porter Road keeps cold by using sealed ice packs and green foam insulation. Porter Road aims to ship quality meat fresh (not frozen) unless it’s a meat that’s not gonna be affected (the texture of the meat) by freezing. For the most part all the meats are fresh and arrive quite cold.

Don’t worry, the meat stays “preserved” just fine. Everything I got was nicely cold to the touch, just like you’d get in a grocer’s freezer. In fact, probably better, despite sitting in Carolina heat for hours.

Porter Road says you should either consume or freeze your meat within seven days of its arrival. They suggest for poultry, to consume it or freeze it as soon as possible. Within four days.

The pork should be consumed or frozen within five days of delivery. Lamb(yes they have lamb!) should be eaten or frozen within seven days and they say beef is a little unique the whole muscle roasts, not ground meat, should be eaten or frozen within 10 days of delivery. That being said, they suggest beef can last longer as long as the meat doesn’t smell sour or feel slimy.

Pasture not Grass


I really like Porter Road because they’re up front on what they do. They specialize in selling pasture raised beef. The company does not promise grass fed and finished (like Butcher Box). I like that Porter Road works very hard to cover all the humane and hormone free angles, but it’s not pure grass fed or grass finished.

How is Grass fed beef different?

Grass fed beef not only tastes different from beef that’s grain fed but it also has different nutritional benefits to the final consumer. Grass fed and grass finished beef offers a better profile of Omega 3 Fatty acids. It also has a different flavor profile compared to gain fed or mixed feed beef. I prefer the “mixed feed” end flavor from Porter Road beef. However, If you’re into a super “clean” Keto diet, Omega 3’s and such, I suggest checking out Butcher Box HERE.

One thing Porter Road does that is over the top for flavor is the dry aging. I think they dry age for 14 days. I believe that makes a flavor difference that’s really, really unbelievable. When it comes to the steaks like the bone in ribeyes that i tried (awesome flavor) definitely shop for dry aged over grass fed!

bone in ribeye

Shipping

So you order your cuts right from the website, they ship them to your door, For standard shipping expect two to three consecutive business days for delivery.

Express shipping: allow one to two consecutive business days.

If you need it right away, standard shipping orders must be placed before 2:00 PM central time on Wednesday for delivery by Friday. If you need it by the weekend, you’ll have to get your order placed before 2:00 PM central time on Wednesday.

They take a lot of care in every stage and the insulation in the box is definitely “eco friendly.” They call the foam in the box “green cell foam” and they say it can be safely burned in your fire pit. You can use it to start a charcoal barbecue or dissolve it in your sink in less than 60 seconds. The box in it’s tape are made of 100% recyclable materials, so you can easily recycle it. It’s a nice touch. If you don’t care about a bit of styrofoam check out Omaha Steaks.

Korean Short Ribs

My new favorite cut of meat is now the Korean short ribs that were in my Porter Road box and I cooked them two ways.

Porter Road Beef Ribs

Both cooking methods ended up delicious. I can’t think of beef, beef ribs without thinking of Fred Flintstone. He’s the original pitmaster, right? His giant slab was so heavy, it tipped over his car!! That’s how I have always prepped Porter Road beef ribs (I think they used to sell these as “dino ribs” according to commenters to the video). If you cook the whole rib you are going to be like Fred.

However, by definition, beef short ribs are a shortened portion of the entire rib bone. You can make them a little easier to handle and serve by making them or serving them flanken style or cut across the bone about half an inch thick or even in two inch or shorter links. You can also cook them English-style, which the bones are in a six inch lengths. I’ve got recipes in my electric smoker book for the low and slow versions. HOWEVER the Korean style is my new favorite and are only a quarter inch thick. You can cook them hot and fast with ease!
In fact, the first thing I did, was a high heat hot and fast cook with one strip just to see what it would be like. I really just wanted a quick little snack. I dusted it with Montreal steak seasoning and it was phenomenal. You’ll definately want a few slices for a whole meal but there’s plenty for four dinner guests one of these packs from Porter Road.

By the way, Canadian spike or spice seasoning or Montreal spice is coarse sea salt, onion, coriander, garlic, and black pepper.

Low and Slow Porter Road Beef Ribs

I did a batch of the Porter Road beef ribs low and slow as well. I sauced them up and smoked them so it was almost like beef bacon. Sweeten and Saucy. The thin beef ribs were pretty versatile and it is awesome just to have the little bones to nibble on.

If you prefer doing Low and slow Porter Road Beef Ribs “low and slow” you may opt for a thicker beef rib (sometimes called English style or larger).

However you “slice them” the beefy – dry aged- flavor of this cut from Porter Road is exceptional. Kind of like a little thin steak with the bone in. On top of all that there is a little amount of flavorful fat on each slice. So again, it’s like beef bacon. Really succulent has the perfect sizzle coming off the grill. I am definitely going to be ordering more of these from Porter Road soon. Find out more here: http://bit.ly/porterroadBBQ

Featured

Smoked Bologna

Here’s a fun smoked bologna recipe from my new book SMOKING MEAT 101 available HERE. I know people try all sorts of delicious adaptations. Let me know what you do in the comments.

All-Star Bologna Chub

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Smoke Time: 2 to 3 hours

Temperature: 225°F

Wood: Mesquite

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to feed a crowd, or just a delicious conversation starter you, try smoking a bologna chub. Is it mean to call it a chub? Would it prefer “husky?” The birthplace of this smoking novelty is said to be Oklahoma, and it is often referred to as “Oklahoma Prime Rib”.

1 (2- to 3-pound) pre-cooked bologna chub

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon dry ground mustard

¼ cup mustard and/or barbecue sauce, for serving

Sliced sandwich bread, for serving

  1. Follow the manufacturer’s specific start-up procedure, preheat the smoker to 225°F, and add mesquite wood.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire, and ground mustard.
  3. Cut into the chub about ¼” to score all over in a crisscross, diamond-like pattern.
  4. Rub the mixture all over the bologna, getting into the grooves.
  5. Place the bologna on the smoker rack and smoke for 2 to 3 hours. Don’t worry about an internal temperature because it is already precooked. It is just absorbing smoke and baking on the sweet and savory ingredients.
  6. Slice and serve warm, with mustard and/or barbecue sauce, and bread.

Ingredient Tip:  Ask around to find a chub or “log” of bologna. You may be surprised to now notice it next to the sliced Oscar Mayer.  If not, ask for a whole chub at the deli counter. We asked a grocery store deli to cut a 2- to 3-pound chub off one end of their bologna in the counter. You will need to remove any casing or wrapping (ours did not have it), but feel free to get creative. Some chefs slice the bologna in half or lengthwise, for a more “tenderloin” appearance (and more surface area to be affected by the flavorful smoke). We cut it in half and scored as in the instructions above. So good.

Featured

Beef Back Ribs

beef ribs

In the South you don’t hear much talk about beef ribs.

Usually the mighty pork spare rib is all the buzz.  But deep in the heart of Texas some say the beef back ribs are a secret weapon of pit masters.   Using hardwood smoke and just a bit of spice and vinegar, the beefy Fred Flintstone ribs are served almost naked and totally delicious.

We wanted to try to take the beef rib a bit further.   Adding the sweet and saucy flavors of the southern pork ribs to heighten the steak on the bone flavor of beef back ribs.

It’s typical to cook pork ribs for around four hours to get them succulent and just right.  But beef ribs are a bit different in nature.   They are best served and eaten with a chewy tug and a bit of fight.    Fall off the bone in the beef world is more akin to pot roast.

We started with two slabs (about 4 pounds each) of nice looking beef ribs from the butcher.  They are also readily available around the country in supermarkets as Beef Back Ribs (not short ribs).  Just opt for the meatiest slabs that you can find.  They will cook down to a more subtle size.

The rib membrane carries a lot of fat and flavor so (unlike pork ribs) we opt to leave this membrane on.  Again with beef ribs it’s ok to have a bit of bone gnawing fight.

When it comes to seasoning the Texas pitmasters don’t do much… but we wanted a more southern BBQ flavor so we rubbed the slabs down with a tablespoon of Tony Cachere’s  Cajun seasoning and an equal amount of Turbinado (Sugar In The Raw) Sugar.  Let the ribs rest overnight in the fridge or at least a few hours.  Then allow the slabs to rest and come to room temperature before placing them on the smoker.

Fuel the smoker with charcoal and mesquite chips to 250 degrees and cover and do not disturb for at least an hour.  Check, and refuel as need and cook for another hour with more smoke.

After two hours and fifteen minutes the beef should be pulling back from the ends of the bones.  a tell tale sign that it’s about time to eat.

Our BBQ Trick is to add one last step:   Wrap the slabs in foil, along with a layer of your favorite sweet sticky sauce plus a good sprinkle of  brown sugar.    Drop the foil wrapped slabs on direct high heat ( we dropped the smoker grill grate  all the way down to the coals to get the meat searing hot.  A few minutes on each side should give you a charred blackened sweet and sticky finish that will make you ready to dig in.  Just give the ribs a ten minute rest on the cutting board before you cut and serve.

Beef Ribs and Smashed Potatoes

In the accompanying video we prepared the ribs with smashed potatoes.   Just leave the spuds in (along with the ribs)  for the 2 hour slow cook.  Then smash and add cheddar and parmesan before the direct heat blast.

The Rub:

2 Tablespoons Tony Cachere’s Cajun Seasoning

2 Tablespoons Turbinado Sugar (also called Sugar In The Raw)

Other Ingredients:

2 Slabs Beef Back Ribs (approx 4lbs each)

Smashed Potatoes:

4 potatoes

1 cup shredded cheddar

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

To Finish:

4 Tablespoons sweet BBQ Sauce

4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

baking

Cheeseburger Pop Tart

These Cheeseburger Pop tarts are from the Ultimate Wood Pellet Grill Smoker Cookbook. In the book we call them Cheeseburger Hand Pies but you get the idea. It’s just a fun hot-pocket-ish dinner on the grill. Close your eyes and pretend it’s a poor man’s Beef Wellington. Watch the video HERE and below. Recipe below and in the Ultimate Wood Pellet Grill Smoker Cookbook

Cheeseburger Pop Tarts Ingredients:

½ lb lean ground beef

1 Tbsp minced onion

Add 1 Tbsp steak seasoning blend (salt, pepper & garlic powder)

1 cup Monterrey Jack/Colby shredded cheese blend

2 slices white American cheese

2 (14 oz) refrigerated prepared pizza dough sheets

12 hamburger dill pickle chips

6 American cheese slices

Egg wash (1 egg, beaten + 1 Tbsp water)

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

 

  • Makes 6 cheeseburger pop tarts
  • Serves 6

 

Chill dough for easier handling. Next, preheat grill to medium. Using a cast iron skillet, brown ground beef and add minced onion and steak seasoning blend when cooked through. Toss in Monterrey Jack/Colby cheese blend and sliced white American cheese. Stir until melted and well blended. Remove cheeseburger mixture from heat and set aside.

Next, working quickly with chilled dough, roll out prepared pizza crust on parchment paper and brush on egg wash. Arrange American cheese slices to make 6 poptarts. Top each cheese slice with ⅓ cup cheeseburger mixture, spreading slightly. Place 4 pickles on top of meat for each tart. Top with the remaining prepared pizza dough and cut between cheese slices to separate the 6 tarts.

Carefully, using kitchen scissors, cut the parchment to further separate, and seal the edges with egg wash and a fork. In addition, baste tops with remaining egg wash and sprinkle each with sesame seeds.

Finally, grill 5 minutes per side. (Or more watch for browning) Serve with sliced tomatoes, ketchup and mustard.

Is there something you’d like more in a poptart? Tell me in the comments!

 

Featured

Weber Q 220 Unboxing

Weber QEver get a present that seems daunting to put together?  We figured the Weber Q 220 Unboxing may help.  The Weber Q 220 portable grill came in a big box and a second biggie came with a grill cart for the stand with wheels. Check out the video HERE for the unboxing (youtube).

Weber Q 220 Assembly

Overall the challenge of putting it all together wasn’t too bad.  The Weber Q 220 Unboxing took  about thirty minutes. The plasticky (in a good way) stand took another thirty minutes.  Total time was about an hour. I’m sure if you really focused in you could get it done faster. I stopped for a beer :).

As you can see after the Weber Q 220 Unboxing I was able to quickly fire up a hotdog. I’ve since grilled several steaks and burgers.

Fire Power

I still feel like I’m not getting as strong or as hot of a flame as I think I should.  Next step may be to try to return the reulator attachment (some other online reviews give props to Weber for good support on this).    I have had sketchy regulators in the past and my conclusion is that they are all maybe a bit too safe for safety purposes.

The Weber Q 220 Stand

The Weber Q220 works great with or without the stand (looks pretty nifty with or without too).  Extra note if you plan to try to use the Weber Q with a larger propane tank as I do in the video you will need the special adapter hose. Purchased separately.

Overall – and a really very simple Weber Q 220 grill with easy assembly. The conclusion is it’s a nice form factor that’s well constructed. It’s sturdy steel where it matters and plastic most everywhere else (nice for grimy ‘que cleanup).

Butcher's Guide

Chicken Pops On An Electric Smoker

Plum Chicken Pops is my favorite recipe from my new book The Complete Electric Smoker Cook Book.  Chicken Pops are one of those things that are a bit of a trick to make therefore they’ll take a bit more time. As a result they are always more appreciated.  Check out the video to see the How To pluck the pops HERE.  


Chicken drumsticks have always been a BBQ favorite. We love them as a kid because they are tasty, hand held, portable, and fun. As an adult I can also appreciate the fact that dark cuts of chicken are easier to cook without drying out. Because dark meat is so affordable – heck inexpensive – my wallet is happy too.

Furthermore, the addition of this sweet and sticky plum sauce takes the drum stick to the next level of flavor. Plus, making the handle all fancy (a technique known as “Frenching”)  keeps your family’s fingers from getting too sticky.  The boys (young and old) will just like it because it looks cave man cool.

chicken popsPlum Chicken Pops

  • 12 chicken drumsticks
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pepper

 

For the plum sauce:

  • ¾ of a 16 oz jar of plum jam
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • chicken leg1 Tbsp minced onion
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • Salt & pepper to taste (less than i did in the video – whoops)

First of all make the plum sauce. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and remove from heat after reaching a boil. Set aside.

For the unique looking legs that I call pops you need cut the skin down to the bone just over the bottom end leg joint.  Stretch skin as much as possible on drumsticks and using a needle nose pliers, remove the thin, white tendons from each leg.  You’ll need to grip (I suggest using a paper towel to grasp the slick skin) the meaty end and then

chicken leg tendon

pull and  “pluck” the long tendons This can sometimes be tricky (and slippery) to do. Don’t panic if you lose a bit of meat clinging to the shoelace -like tendons. Grip the meaty end to help keep more meat in the process.

Sprinkle each with salt and pepper and head to the smoker.

I used cherry wood and smoked on a Char-broil Electric Smoker for 90 minutes at a steady 250 degrees F.  Look for the skin and meat to retract to create a nice looking ball at the end of your “chicken pop.”

Finally, I like to dredge the pops in the sticky sauce. However it’s really up to you.

 

Featured

Bacon Crust Pizza How to Make Meat Lovers Pizza

Yes it’s a twisted concept: bacon crust pizza. Or maybe a woven concept.

Bacon as the crust of a pizza? Is it really necessary?

Yes. And it’s amazing.

WATCH The Pizza Video HERE

This came about in the search for low carb pizza options like the BBQ Cauliflower pizza here. 

The trick with a bacon crust -or any bacon – on a grill is avoiding flare ups. Go low and slow.

We used a Traeger pellet cooker for the bacon and always recommend using smoke and indirect low heat for bacon. In the home, a lot of people will now cook bacon in the oven instead of a skillet for similar reasons.

bacon crust pizza
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Bacon Crust Pizza

For low carb pizza fans. Or high bacon fans. The key to using bacon crust is in the weave.

Ingredients

  • 1 package grocery bacon
  • 3 tablespoons pizza sauce
  • ½ red onion (thinly sliced)
  • 3 whole (canned) tomatoes hand crushed
  • 1 cup fresh mozzarella
  • ½ green bell pepper (thinly sliced)
  • Fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Weave bacon on parchment paper for easy handling. Use chilled or refrigerated bacon for easy handling.
  2. Cut bacon weave square into a round using a second – cover- sheet of parchment and a medium to large bowl. Reserve trimmed bacon.
  3. Chop ¼ red onion and sautee with chopped remaining bacon until caramelized.
  4. Smoke bacon weave in smoker at 350 degrees F for an hour.
  5. Top bacon crust with additional ingredients. One initial thin bottom layer of cheese helps to minimize leaks and softness.
  6. Add fresh basil at end of cook.
  7. Allow 10 minutes to rest and allow bottom layer to firm up before serving.Makes 4 hearty slices

SMOKED BACON CRUST PIZZA

1 package grocery bacon

3 tablespoons pizza sauce

½ red onion (thinly sliced)

3 whole (canned) tomatoes hand crushed

1 cup fresh mozzarella

½ green bell pepper (thinly sliced)

Fresh basil

 

 

 

Weave bacon on parchment paper for easy handling. Use chilled or refrigerated bacon for easy handling.

bacon crust pizzaCut bacon weave square into a round using a second – cover- sheet of parchment and a medium to large bowl. Reserve trimmed bacon.

Chop ¼ red onion and sautee with chopped remaining bacon until caramelized.

Smoke bacon weave in smoker at 350 degrees F for an hour.

Top bacon crust with additional ingredients. One initial thin bottom layer of cheese helps to minimize leaks and softness. Add fresh basil at end of cook.

Allow 10 minutes to rest and allow bottom layer to firm up before serving.

Makes 4 hearty slices

Fall

Homemade McRib – Debone Ribs How To

Here we have two tricks to a Homemade McRib.

mcrib is bacIf you’ve ever grown frustrated that the world’s biggest restaurant can’t find ONE little minced processed pork sandwich (It’s for a LIMITED TIME ONLY. Ugh) then this Homemade McRib experiment may interest you. We tried out a little trick or two to prepare a homemade mcrib – by removing the bones of a half slab of pork ribs.  It works like a charm.

Watch the Homemade McRib step by step video- HERE

Back in 1981 when all the fast food places just had burgers and – Micky d’s introduced the specialty.
It was dropped 1985 because it wasn’t selling. It came back in 94, the fast food behemoth tried again and found greater success with the McRib. In 2005 they started the whole limited time only thing – a tactic that works!

The store version is said to posses 70 different ingredients, the least innocuous of which are “pig bits like tripe, heart, and scalded stomach.”So here’s the trick to not only enjoying a boneless rib sandwich or Homemade McRib at home tricks that make the hand held half rack even better with simpler ingredients.

First step is a plan to remove the bones while still maintaining a “ribbed” shape. The mass produced sandwich presses the pork particles into the shape of a slab. Here’s our hand crafted hard way:
I have to note – I’m in what I will claim as the birthplace of the McRib: Charleston, SC.


Here’s why: McDonald’s Executive chef,Rene Arend, (at the time) has said he was visiting / traveling in the LowCountry of the palmetto state the city and had some BBQ sandwiches – usually pulled pork around here and he thought the flavors would work. So yeah – it all started here. Bragging rights.

  • So how do you remove the bones:
    Peel the membrane off the bone side of the slab by loosening the tough tissue at one end with a blunt knife and then grasping with a dry grip of paper towel. The trick is being able to grasp as much of the membrane end at once. It may take two peels but should come of clean.
  • Next, gently score the surface of the slab where the bones meet the meat. Use a sharp knife tip as shown in the video.  Trim the membrane close to the bone to give the “fall off the bone” process a helping hand.  This will allow the bones to “fall off the meat” or vice versa. You want to get the meat to pull away from the bones but not totally fall off and break apart.
  • Divide the slab into two halves and smoke at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 minutes. Or use the 3-2-1 method.
  • Wrap tightly in foil and add ½ cup of liquid like beer – I used a domestic dark beer – or cola
    Cook an additional one to two hours at 300 degrees until bones protrude at the ends.
  • Add sauce and grill on high heat to char (preferred method) or dredge in sauce (traditional method) and place on toasted roll. Add slivered onions and hamburger dill pickles.

Another fun fact – did u know there were three McRib Farewell Tours, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. – now you no longer need to fear the limited time… make it at home.

 

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Homemade McRib

Yield 2

When you're out of McDonald's Limited time you can turn to this trick for de-boning your ribs for a succulent BBQ sandwich.homemade mcrib

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 Slab of pork spare ribs (avoid “shiners”)
  • 2 French rolls
  • Hamburger Dill Pickles
  • ½ small onion, slivered
  • 2 cups BBQ Sauce
  • 1 cup dry BBQ Rub

Instructions

So how do you remove the bones?:

  • Peel the membrane off the bone side of the slab by loosening the tough tissue at one end with a blunt knife and then grasping with a dry grip of paper towel. The trick is being able to grasp as much of the membrane end at once. It may take two peels but should come of clean.
  • Next, gently score the surface of the slab where the bones meet the meat. This will allow the bones to “fall off the meat” or vice versa. You want to get the meat to pull away from the bones but not totally fall off and break apart.
  • Divide the slab into two halves and smoke at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 minutes. Or sue 3-2-1 method (3 hours at 225, then 2 hours wrapped in foil, last hour undrapped to sauce and tighten up)
  • Wrap tightly in foil and add ½ cup of liquid like beer – I used a domestic dark beer - or cola
  • Cook an additional one to two hours at 300 degrees until bones protrude at the ends.
  • Add sauce and grill on high heat to char (preferred method) or dredge in sauce (traditional method) and place on toasted roll.
  • Add slivered onions and hamburger dill pickles.

What’s This Here BBQ Sauce2 Tbs vegetable oil1 large clove of garlic, minced1 medium onion, minced1 Chipotle pepper, minced1 tsp chili powder1/4 tsp CayWorcestershire sauce½ tsp fresh ground black pepper2 tsp Texas PeteHeat the oil in a deep sauce pan and add garlic and onions until they soften. Add all peppers and heat for 20 seconds before stirring in the remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes until thickened. When cool, strain out onion and garlic “chunks” if desired.enne pepper1 cup ketchup2 Tbs Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon)5 Tbs dark molasses3 Tbs

What’s This Here BBQ Sauce
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 Chipotle pepper, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp CayWorcestershire sauce
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp Texas Pete
Heat the oil in a deep sauce pan and add garlic and onions until they soften. Add all peppers and heat for 20 seconds before stirring in the remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes until thickened. When cool, strain out onion and garlic “chunks” if desired.enne pepper
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbs Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon)
5 Tbs dark molasses
3 Tbs

4TH REVISION BBQ TRICK RUB
• 4 Tablespoons Paprika
• 1/2 Tablespoon Chili powder
• 1/2 Tablespoon Cayenne (optional for heat)
• 3 Tablespoons Tony Cachere’s Cajun Seasoning
• 4 Tablespoons Sugar In The Raw
• 1/2 Tablespoon Cumin
• 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend thoroughly with forks, slotted spoons, or fingers (eliminating all lumps).

Cook

Whole Hog at Scott’s BBQ with Rodney Scott

whole hog at scott'sWhole Hog  at Scott’s BBQ is a thing to behold.  Perfection on a plate.  Now, with the planned addition of a Charleston, SC location of Rodney Scott’s Scott’s BBQ it’s time to get ready for whole hog that’s a lot easier to get to!

The secret to whole hog at Scott’s is roasting the whole animal.  As simple as it sounds Rodney says most people don’t want to deal with it.

Take a look at the new video interview with Rodney Scott HERE and give a listen to a separate PODCAST interview with Rodney Scott below (also transcribed below).

vinegar sauce bbq

2 votes

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Scott's Knock Off Vinegar Sauce

North and South Carolina are indeed different entities. One difference is in sauce appeal. Cross the state line headed north and things get a lot more sour in the the form of Western Carolina Vinegar sauce. Tart, hot, a li’l bit sweet, but thin enough to mix quietly into a pile of pulled pork without getting in the way of the smoke in the meat. 

Rodney Scott's sauce is more Eastern North Carolina and unlike the "Scotts" commercial sauce in stores (no carb/different Scott) Rodney's sauce has a bit of sweetness.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vinegar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp red pepper
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper 
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt
  • 1 tsp dark molasses
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Use an empty 16oz bottle (from cider vinegar or the like) for this sauce to store and serve. Simmer ingredients in a small to medium sauce pan for ten minutes. Let cool before serving.

Cuisine BBQ

It doesn’t get anymore country than the innards of South Carolina. If you’re ever in the Myrtle Beach area (actually this isn’t even very close to Myrtle Beach). Hemingway, South Carolina, the home

of real country. It doesn’t get more country than Hemingway, South Carolina, and today our guest is from the world-famous Scott’s BBQ. At least whole hog at Scott’s is famous in my book. Sometimes on this podcast we’re going actually be talking to country singers, but also we can delve into real country food.

Again, nothing’s more country

Getting the spaceship tour from Mr Scott!!

than whole hog at Scott’s with Rodney Scott of Hemingway.  Without any further ado, let’s check in with Rodney, Mr. Scott. Thanks for being here.


Rodney Scott:
My pleasure.

Bill West:
Rodney is world renowned in the world of whole hog BBQ pit cooking, and his store in Hemingway, South Carolina, which I love is, I would say—how long did it take you to drive here? An hour and 15 minutes?

Rodney Scott:
About an hour and 40 minutes.

Bill West:
Depends how fast you drive. Definitely worth a Saturday morning road trip, not only because of the pork, but you also do a mean, what was it a ribeye?

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. We do rib eyes on Saturday, a little something I came up with.

Bill West:
Something special. Have you ever done a book?

Rodney Scott:
Never done a book.

Bill West:
So, you just have been on all these BBQ shows. What’s all the national TV exposure you got?

Rodney Scott:
We’ve been featured on CBS Sunday Morning. We’ve done Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern’s show. We’ve done Kimberly Simply Southern. We’ve done Man Fire Food. Those are the ones that I know about. There have been several little spots that we’ve appeared on like BBQ Paradise or a little something like that.

Bill West:
They roll in and do it and—

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. They just give you a quick glance of Scott’s BBQ and other BBQ pit masters.

Bill West:
What are your hours over there at the store?

Rodney Scott:
Our hours in Scott’s BBQ, we’re open Wednesday from 9:30 until 6:00. Then, we’re open Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 9:30 until about 8:00.

Bill West:
That’s the dream. Actually, sometimes, that’s Thursday, Friday, Saturday hours. I’m like, that’s a great life. But there’s more to it than just those hours, because y’all are cooking and prepping. What’s that part of it look like?

Rodney Scott:
Oh, my God. Prepping is pretty tough. You have to start cutting wood to carry you throughout the week. You have to clean the pits every week. Just getting all of the hog count together and everything, preparing. It’s pretty physical, both preparing as well as cooking, because everything’s done manually the way that we do it. It starts as early as Tuesday morning, getting ready for Wednesday.

Bill West:
Does the wood come to you chopped?

Rodney Scott:
No. I wish.

Bill West:
You don’t do that anymore, right? Or do you—

Rodney Scott:
Well, I rarely get a chance to go and cut wood, but the guys that still work with us, they cut most of the wood now, and they cut it, bring it in, chop it, and keep the yard stocked up.

Bill West:
Well, I made a visit a couple weeks back and did some video. Just the burn barrel you have, it looks like it’s melting under the heat. That gets pretty intense, right?

Rodney Scott:
That heat is very intense. We get a lot of visitors in the wintertime, especially when it’s freezing.

Bill West:
That’s where people hang out?

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. That’s the hangout spot. Free heat. You just stand around and it’s comfortable.

Bill West:
This podcast started a couple weeks back. It’s about country music, country cooking, country food, which I don’t know that you can get more country than Hemingway, South Carolina, right?

Rodney Scott:
Oh, man. It’s pretty rural out there.

Bill West:
How would you define country cooking? Or country kitchen?

Rodney Scott:
Country cooking in my opinion is basically what you had around the farm or what you had available in your area. For example, you would take a whole hog that you’ve been raising for a while and you would BBQ later on, maybe around harvest season. Garden foods that you grew. That’s my opinion of country cooking. Basically, everything that’s around the house that was in the immediate area that you had to work with.

Bill West:
It almost sounds like farm to table kind of thing, right?

Rodney Scott:
Pretty much.

Bill West:
Which I guess with South Carolina has been pioneers with that, with Sean Brock is a friend and fan of yours, right?

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. Great friend, great guy.

Bill West:
When it comes to sourcing hogs and the things that you do, how hard is that to try and get local? What’s going on in that world? Because everybody’s talking organic and probably I would guess the BBQ world is probably later in the game, maybe, on paying attention to that sort of thing.

Rodney Scott:
Well, we try to keep a little focus on it ourselves. There’s one farmer that we dealt with for years, and because we weren’t able to go to the next farmer, so to speak, to move up, that left us to deal with this old-school guy that still fed his hogs by hand, that was still doing thing the way that he used to do way back. It benefits now because he has the most consistent when it comes to the yield of meat per hog, the flavor, the growth. His hogs come to me pretty healthy all the time, and he’s the only guy that I deal with.

Bill West:
How much difference is there? I grew up in Chicago, and to me, when I have a baby back rib or slab of baby back ribs that I remember in Chicago or spare ribs, it almost seems like a different animal to me, because I thought the bones where I was growing up were more spindly, for lack of a better term. They seemed maybe bigger boned down here in the South. Is that just the different breeds in where you get them?

Rodney Scott:
It can be breeds, and it also can be the age of the hog. Sometimes the older the hog is, the longer the bone or the bigger the bone. It’s usually a little tougher. Again, it’s the breeds. It all depends on which ones you get. A lot of times, you get a nice, like the Mangalica crossed with the Berkshire. He tends to grow pretty good. He’s tender, juicy, cooks real well. I cooked one just a few weeks ago and it came out awesome.

Bill West:
Tell me about those hogs, because that’s something I’m learning. I’ve obviously heard of Berkshire hogs.

Rodney Scott:
We’re all still learning. From what I know, that Mangalica is pretty much a bigger hog and more hairy, kind of like a wooly pig. He tends to grow a lot of intermuscular meat, which is more looking like a steak than pork when it’s raw. He cooks totally different than what you would see here grown just in the South. More of a heritage bred hog, more purebred.

Bill West:
And all that’s becoming more talked about these days? And you can get the information these days, because we have the Internet now and we can all look whole hog at Scott’s up. Your dad started the business, right?

Rodney Scott:
My dad started the business, yes.

Bill West:
Was he doing whole hog?

Rodney Scott:
He was doing whole hog. Whole hog was all we knew. We did the whole hogs from start to current date, and that’s the only thing I ever knew. When it came to cooking shoulders and quarters and halves, that was a whole new ballgame for me, because I was so used to cooking whole hogs.

Bill West:
Part of me says doing whole hog would be the most economical. You just get the whole thing there, but I’ve heard not really. You buy Boston butts or hams and you can pack more on a grill. You can ship more. What’s the reality? Is it more efficient to do a whole hog?

Rodney Scott:
In my opinion, flavor-wise, it’s more efficient to do the whole hog. Of course, you can get a little more meat with the butts, but there’s something that I’ve noticed about cooking a whole hog. Somewhere in that backbone area, that flavor comes out of those backbones when it’s all joined together. That’s just a little different than it is with just a butt by itself or with just a half of a hog split down the middle, even. It’s a big difference when you keep the whole hog together.

Bill West:
Really?

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. It’s amazing. It sounds crazy, but I’ve come to notice it in the last few years that, when you’ve got it all together, it tastes a whole lot different.

Bill West:
I was watching you the other day, mixing things up as you go and adding the sauce. I think there’s something to that as well, just paying attention to it. I remember you saying the bones, the bone-in cooking like that and we’ve all heard that before, like steak bone-in, there’s something that it—

Rodney Scott:
Something different.

Bill West:
That it gives it, and I’m sure the spine that’s in there, there’s a surface area all down that backbone. You think even when you have a half a hog, it’s different?

Rodney Scott:
It’s still different. It’s still a little different. The flavor’s still good, but someone who eats hogs as much as I do would kind of notice the difference in the hog cut in half versus him butterflied. Butterflied being just split down the spine, not completely apart.

Bill West:
No doubt, I think the flavor, when you go whole hog, there’s just nothing like it. The easy argument with that would be, of course, because you’ve got ribs in there. You’ve got the pork tenderloin. When you buy a whole hog, you’re paying for the ribs, too. In that regard, if somebody’s just doing a pulled pork BBQ, they would probably save money just by doing butts and shoulders.

Rodney Scott:
Exactly.

Bill West:
Okay. When you get Scott’s BBQ, you’re getting the bacon in there and everything, which just—

Rodney Scott:
You’re getting everything.

Bill West:
Makes it all just taste great. Have you ever done a commercial sauce? I know you sell it out of the store, but mass marketed?

Rodney Scott:
We’ve never done a commercial sauce, no. Never. There is a sauce out there with Scott’s name on it, but that is not us. The only sauce that we sell is right there at the store.

Bill West:
The Scott’s that I see, because I asked you the same thing. I saw a yellow-red out of North Carolina. In fact, the news guy just popped his head and said, oh, I love that sauce. That sauce is great and it’s a good low-carb thing. Your sauce is similar, but describe your sauce.

Rodney Scott:
Our sauce is vinegar and pepper based, of course. Same as that sauce, but we don’t have quite as many ingredients as Scott’s BBQ sauce with the red and yellow label. The ingredients that we have is not more of just dumped in, but there’s a technique to the way that we make our sauce. There’s a certain point when you add this to that. I’m not going to tell you exactly what it is. When you add it all together, that gives it a different flavor. It’s basically somewhat of the same ingredients, but less ingredients than the red and yellow label, but totally different flavor.

Bill West:
People can come by the store in Hemingway and pick up a gallon or half-gallon, I think I saw in there.

Rodney Scott:
Oh, yeah.

Bill West:
Is that something you want to do down the road, do a commercial sauce, or are you even worried about that?

Rodney Scott:
It’s still a thought. I would love for everybody to be able to get their hands on it. At the same time, I’d love for everybody to come out and see what we do, how we do it and enjoy the experience of visiting a rural BBQ spot out in country, and kind of see what it was like to see us as we grew up in the country, cooking whole hogs, eating pork. Then, you get to buy your sauce and your pork all at the same time, get an experience, and go back.

Bill West:
Yeah. Do a lot of people take a tour, or is that just whoever asks?

Rodney Scott:
Man, quite a few people come through wanting to walk through the pits, and of course I walk them through.

Bill West:
You don’t mind?

Rodney Scott:
I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all.

Bill West:
That’s a great experience, and actually, I saw the article in the newspaper six months ago, Charleston paper, about it being a whole new pit. It is space-age greenhouse meets smokehouse. What happened to the old smokehouse, and who designed this new thing and how’s it been working?

Rodney Scott:
Well, the old smokehouse was made out of cinderblock. There were three feet of cinderblock and the rest was wood. The insides were made out of a metal, an FRP material, and we had a fire. Pit fire led to the whole building catching and burning, and had to rebuild. Before we rebuilt, we consulted with some good friends, one of them being Reggie Gibson. He designed the new BBQ pit that you see now.

Bill West:
Any regrets? Anything you could change at this point?

Rodney Scott:
No regrets, none at all. I appreciate the pit itself. It’s different. It’s a lot cooler, a lot more spacious. It’s great to work in, and it has a sound system.

Bill West:
Yeah, yeah. Do you have to deal with noise ordinance out there?

Rodney Scott:
No. That’s the beauty of the country.

Bill West:
You were rocking and rolling when I was—I said I heard Clarence Carter stroking.

Rodney Scott:
Got to be stroking. Got to be stroking.

Bill West:
You have any plans to open up another location?

Rodney Scott:
Yes, definitely. Definitely want to open up another location. Being very cautious about where I go and what I want to do and how I want to do it. I would like to do it the same way I do it in Hemingway. Of course, my first choice is still Charleston.

Bill West:
Right. Would you look downtown, or would you look on the outskirts?

Rodney Scott:
Wow. Kind of torn. I love it downtown. There was one thought of having a rural feel to it, even in the city where there’s a little trip, but not too far. It’s kind of in between that right now.

Bill West:
Right. Y’all heard it here. Of all the big chains, what would you recommend—who does really good BBQ on a large scale?

Rodney Scott:
Really good beautiful on a large scale? Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ. I don’t see them as a chain. I see them as a family.

Bill West:
And you know those guys, right?

Rodney Scott:
I know those guys very well.

Bill West:
They certainly do it right. I always said, if you don’t smell smoke when you go by, there’s an issue, and you definitely—

Rodney Scott:
Something’s wrong.

Bill West:
You smell smoke there, and actually there’s a lot of guys in town that do it the right way. Once you get out of South Carolina, though—

Rodney Scott:
It gets a little different. It gets a little different.

Bill West:
All of the greatest BBQ joints across the country, what would you say, what are in the top five?

Rodney Scott:
Wow. Of course, I just mentioned Jim ‘N Nick’s. Sam Jones over in North Carolina. Winterville, North Carolina. Great friend of mine. You got Pat Martin over in Tennessee. You got 4505 out in San Francisco. Those guys are great.

Bill West:
Are they doing hog? Are they doing their own thing?

Rodney Scott:
They’re all doing hogs. You’ve got Pegleg Porker over there in Nashville as well.

Bill West:
Really? There’s probably only a handful of people that are doing whole hog, though, right?

Rodney Scott:
Yeah.

Bill West:
Here, I guess probably Sweatman’s. I guess they’re doing whole hog.

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. I think Sweatman’s is still doing whole hogs.

Bill West:
Around here, of course, yeah. But really not that many.

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. When you leave the Southeast, it tends to get a little smaller as far as whole hogs go, from my travels. If they’re out there, they’re hidden. I’d love to find them and see what they’re doing and enjoy somebody else’s BBQ as well, but I have no idea who’s all doing whole hogs other than in the Southeast.

Bill West:
All right. I’ll wrap it up here. First of all, we brought the Heinz—you mentioned Sam.

Rodney Scott:
Sam Jones. Sam Jones, everybody.

Bill West:
Had you seen this before?

Rodney Scott:
I’ve seen it online. I’ve seen a couple of pictures, and Sam Jones is a great guy, very funny guy. Another guy that’s very into music like I am.

Bill West:
He’s into, you said, into the classic country.

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. He’s mostly into classic country.

Bill West:
We’ll get Sam on at some point. We need to talk to him about some country music.

Rodney Scott:
You’d love Sam Jones. He teaches me country music.

Bill West:
We mentioned, I’m holding in my hand, Heinz, they have a four-pack of four different sauces that were endorsed by regional guys, and the Carolina vinegar tangy was Sam Jones’s. He’s the partner there. So, kind of cool. All right. Real quick questions. I’m going to try to do rapid-fire. I have a feeling I know that we’re going to go down a rabbit trail here. What would you say the best place to get a hotdog is?

Rodney Scott:
Wow. Best place to get a hotdog? My favorite hotdog that I’ve had?

Bill West:
Yeah.

Rodney Scott:
Out in the county, in Pleasant Hill, there’s a little store called W.T. Owens. It’s about eight miles from my place in Hemingway. I will drive all the way out there just to get a hotdog.

Bill West:
Good answer. Favorite cheese?

Rodney Scott:
Favorite cheese? A lot of folks in my area call it hook cheese, which is basically a sharp cheddar. It’s sold in a round, wooden case, and it has a red rag around it. That’s how it’s recognized in my area, as a red rag. I have to say sharp cheddar.

Bill West:
Sharp cheddar. Lastly, your favorite chef? You got a favorite TV chef? Or real-life, real-world chef?

Rodney Scott:
Man, it’s so many. It’s so many favorite cooks out there. Friends, chefs, man that’s a toss-up.

Bill West:
You’ve kind of seen them all.

Rodney Scott:
I’ve seen quite a few. Quite a few. There’s quite a few that I know, guys from New Orleans. Don Link, Steven, Ryan, these guys out of Herbsaint and Peche down there. Nick Pihakis, great guy.

Bill West:
That’s Jim ‘N Nicks, right?

Rodney Scott:
That’s Jim ‘N Nicks. BBQ as well as some of his even Greek dishes, amazing. The list can go on and on. Sean Brock, Mike Lata. All of these guys.

Bill West:
A lot of these guys are right downtown.

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. These guys right around town here. They’re just great. If I go to your spot more than once, I like your food. Trust me.

Bill West:
Finally, what’s on your playlist in the smokehouse?

Rodney Scott:
Wow. My playlist in the smokehouse ranges from Clarence Carter to Michael Jackson. A lot of old-school hip-hop with Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, Fat Boys. A lot of Anthony Hamilton. One of my favorite artists, Anthony Hamilton. You may hear him. Then, there’s another list that I have. You may hear Smokey and the Bandits theme song by Jerry Reed. You’ll hear Conway Twitty.

Bill West:
Favorite country song was?

Rodney Scott:
Oh, man. I have to say The Gambler. The Gambler would have to be one of my favorites, but Johnny Cash, oh my God. Johnny Cash.

Bill West:
You said you kind of know some of the Rucker fam, but you said—

Rodney Scott:
Wagon Wheel, yeah. Darius Rucker, Wagon Wheel, as well as the song with Lionel Richie that he did. What’s the title of the song?

Bill West:
Was it Stuck on You?

Rodney Scott:
Stuck on You, yeah. That one as well.

Bill West:
Man, I appreciate you giving us some of your time. It’s Scott’s BBQ. Hemingway, South Carolina, if you’re ever running through. You need to get that mail order business going.

Rodney Scott:
Oh, man. I’m working on it.

Bill West:
I know the guys at Rendezvous in Memphis. They do a crazy business with that. Of course, they’ve got the FedEx hub right there in their backyard.

Rodney Scott:
Yeah. They’ve got everything going, all the FedEx planes are in Memphis.

Bill West:
But go stop by and see Rodney Scott in Hemingway, South Carolina and keep an eye out for him all over the place. How do people get ahold of you if they want to find out more about all the stuff you got going?

Rodney Scott:
If you want to find out everything, I’m on Twitter @RodneyScottBBQ. I am on Facebook, Scott’s BBQ. You can also reach out to me. Hey, call the shop. 843-558-0134, basically how you’ll find me.

Bill West:
You’re there running things.

Rodney Scott:
I’m doing the best I can.

Bill West:
Rodney Scott. Bud, thank you for coming.

Rodney Scott:
Thank you.

Bill West:
Hey, that’s a wrap for me. It’s Bill West, BBQTricks.com; also NashFM969.com, if you want to find out more about us. Also, I’ve got to thank the crew over at NashCountryDaily.com for sharing out the podcast. Make sure you subscribe there. Jump online to iTunes or audioBoom and make a comment, make a rating, and follow us. It definitely helps spread the word about all the good country music. Plus, I’m taking some select reviewers and rewarding you with some music and things like that. More about me. Jump over to my website, BBQTricks.com. I just released a book called the BBQ Blueprint. I would love for you to check that out. If you don’t want to take the plunge a purchase that book just yet, how about a freebie there, which is a free book called BBQ Sauces and Sides just for checking in. We’d love to give that to you. Thanks again to Rodney Scott, Hemingway’s Scott’s BBQ. If you’re ever in the area out there, in the whole state of South Carolina, make a run up the road and see Rodney for the best whole hog that you will ever find. Also, by the way, the BBQ Blueprint book, I chat more in depth with how Rodney cooks his whole hogs. I’m going to leave you with a last words today from the late, great actor Humphrey Bogart, who once said, a hotdog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz.
END OF RECORDING

Featured

Turkey Balls and Buffalo Balls

 

 

img_6708-300x200We were looking for the perfect food for a football pre-party.  We love chicken wings with hot sauce and blue cheese dip – but hate deep frying at home.

This fun tailgate treat is easier to munch than traditional buffalo wings. Plus you get all the zesty spice and the joy of biting into the blue cheese center with every bite.  No bones about it. They’re good!

Recipe:

1 lb ground chicken
2 cups Bisquick
1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
1/4 cup water
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 block Bleu cheese cut into cubes
1 tsp parsley (for garnish)
Ranch dressing
Buffalo Sauce
½ c butter
1 c Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
2 tsp Cayenne pepper

Heat grill to medium.
Mix together chicken, Bisquick, bouillon, water and cheddar cheese. Form chicken mixture around 1 cube of Bleu cheese, and roll into a ball. Grill on medium heat for approximately 30 minutes until firm and internal temperature reaches 160°F.

Using a cast iron pan on indirect heat, melt butter and stir in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and Cayenne pepper to mix. Dredge cooked chicken balls in hot sauce and sprinkle with parsley before serving. Serving suggestion: serve with cut celery and carrot sticks and Ranch dressing for dipping.